, 1887-07-28
ON THE NORMAN COAST.
Capture of the Fortress on the Heights
Above the ~Fecamp-An Old Story.

Capture of the Fortress on the Heights
Above the Feoamp-An Old Story.
During the struggle between the Cath
Ole league and Henry " of France (bet-
ter known to us as Henry of Navarre),
the partisans of the former held with a
strong garrison the fortress on the heights
o Fecamp, the ruins of which are
still to be seen. Henry's adherents
viewed this important position with long
ing eyes, but, inaccessible as it was from
the sea, and strongly fortified on the
landward side, its capture seemed as inn
possible as if Ito quote the strong express
sion of one of its defenders) sit had been
hung upon the horns of the moon"
But there was one MAJ who did not
think it impossible. Among the boldest
champions of Henry's cause was a GER
tain Sire de B~oisrosee, one of those reck-
less desperadoes, half soldier and half
brigand, who swarmed in that iron age
over every kingdom of Europe. To this
daring guerrilla the one thing clear from
the very outset was that an attack on the
seaward side being thought impossible
his projected assault must be made from
that very quarter. He began by assem-
bling a band of fifty soldiers, all men
after his own heart, ready to plunge at a
w lhlO ~ IlOoI utSDeTdUe
enterprise which promised plenty of fight
ing and plumber. His next task was to
gain over one of the garrison, who
pledged himself to be in readiness to
draw up at a concerted signal the rope
ladder by means of which the cliff was
to be scaled. All being thus prepared it
only remained for De Boisrosee to watch
for a dark and stormy night fit for his
purpose.
The momentous night came at last
wild, gloomy, terrible. So fiercely did
the waves dash against the cliff that not
without imminent risk of destruction did
the daring men succeed in reaching end
seizing the rope ladder. In darkness and
storm, with the rain lashing their faces
and the wind swinging them dizzily to
and fro in the empty air, a roaring sea
below and a hideous precipice above, the
dreadful ascent began. Boisrosee came
last, announcing, in a tone which SHOWED
he meant what he said, that at the first
sign of mutiny he would sever the rope
just below him, and thus cut off all hope
of retreat. But this work was unexpect-
eddy done for him. The boat below, to
which the cord had been left fastened in
order to steady it, was suddenly flung up
on the crest of IN enormous wave, and
this jerk snapped the stout rope like a
thread. 80 violently were we dashed
against the cliff, said one of the sur
vivors of that fearful night, chat many
of us had our steel caps cracked like nut
Shells"
And now came the real crisis of the
adventure. Just at the momen when
the lives of the whole band depended
solely upon their own courage and cool
ness the soldier who was foremost in the
ascent-a man of herculean strength and
hitherto unquestioned bravery-suddenly
lost his nerve and hung helplessly upon
the ladder with his arms through one of
the r%atlines, completely paralyzed with
terror. h was to be done? To pass
him seemed impossible, while to kill him
might cause an alarm which would bring
certain death upon all. But Boisrosee
was just the man for such an emergency.
Exerting all his wonderful activity he
climbed over the backs of his comrades
till he reached the unnerved Andre, and
pricking him twice in the back with his
dagger point threatened to stab him to
the heart if he did not instantly advance.
Stung with rage and pain Andre sprang
upward, the rest followed, and the un-
prepared garrison, startled from their
slumbers by a laundering shout of 'Vive
Henri Quatrel" found themselves beset
by q crowd of armed men who seemed
to have dropped from the skies, and who
speedily o~verpowered all resistance
David Kerr in New York Times.